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Their music depends on a heavy blues sound, repetition, volume, and guitar riffs.
The OED defines rock ‘n’ roll: “A style of music originating in the southern United
States, largely as an amalgam of rhythm and blues, country music, and Chicago electric
blues and characterized by a heavily accentuated backbeat and simple melodies and
structures.” In this tradition, Led Zeppelin’s sound is distinct for:
Bonham’s drumming (notably in his use of a single bass drum), in combination with
Jones’s bass guitar, produced a large, bottom-heavy sound. The bass line was frequently
mirrored by the electric guitar, sometimes distorted, playing an octave higher, creating a
monolithic and powerful effect . . . Page’s melodic style was firmly rooted in the blues;
his main concern was with timbre: he fulfilled the function of both rhythm and lead
guitar, and played electric and acoustic instruments as well as pedal steel guitar and
mandolin . . . Plant’s powerful voice was also a hallmark of the band’s sound: he had
remarkable flexibility as a rock singer, capable of conveying a wide range of emotion
with his control of volume, timbre and dissonance. His powerful, exaggerated blues-
shouter style has been particularly influential. The band’s sound can be attributed partly
to Page’s innovatory production, notably his positioning of microphones, particularly
when recording the drums. (Grove Music Online)
The stylistic versatility of Page, Plant, and Jones gave Led Zeppelin a musical flexibility
that set the band apart from other rock bands of the period. Led Zeppelin’s manager,
Peter Grant, secured them an unprecedented deal with Atlantic Records that gave the
band complete creative control over their own music, production, and cover art, as well
as the highest royalty rate ever paid to a group of musicians. Page understood the
importance of having complete artistic control, and he meticulously crafted the sound and
image of Led Zeppelin in his role as the lead guitarist and producer of their music. He
created Led Zeppelin with a specific vision: “I wanted artistic control in a vise grip,”
Page recalls, “because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these fellows . . . I knew
exactly what I wanted to do in every respect. I knew where all the guitars were going to
go and how it was going to sound—everything” (Guitar World, April 2009).